Free Republic

Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main U.S. demands at peace talks.Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's order could further frustrate U.S. President Donald Trump and complicate talks on ending the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Israeli officials have told Reuters that Trump has assured Israel that Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, needed to make an atomic weapon, will be sent out of Iran and that any peace deal must include a clause on this. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu...

At least 42 United States military aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, have been lost or damaged during the war in Iran, according to an official report. The losses may increase due to multiple factors, including classification, ongoing combat activity, and attribution, said the report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The aircraft losses and damages include four F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, one F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft, one A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft, seven KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft, one E-3 Sentry airborne early warning-and-control system aircraft (AWACS), two MC-130J Commando II special operations aircraft, one HH-60W Jolly...

Donald Trump was for the Iran war before he was against it. His latest post on social media about the conflict indicated that he is once more calling off a sweeping military action, this time at the behest of his Gulf allies who are apparently quaking at the thought of a renewed conflict. Trump’s initial sentence was quite a mouthful: I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold...

President Trump downplayed the effect redistricting will have on the midterm elections and said the outcome of the Iran war will be a bigger factor. “It helps. I mean, I don’t know [if it will be the] difference,” Trump said of how new congressional districts in several states will impact Republicans in November. “I think a bigger difference would be if I win quickly [in Iran], as opposed to after [the elections], but again, I’m not going to let the election determine what’s going to happen with respect to Iran, because they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he told Fox...

Former Vice President Kamala was dragged online for her laundry list of progressive “bad ideas” she wants to bring to the table at what she’s dubbed a “No Bad Idea Brainstorm” for Democrats. Harris said during a Wednesday night livestream on the “Win with Black Women” podcast that Democrats need “an expanded playbook” and need to consider radical positions ahead of the 2026 Midterm elections — including abolishing the Electoral College and packing the Supreme Court. “Look, this is a moment where there are no bad ideas, a no bad idea brainstorm is what I’d like to call it,” Harris...

Desperate and facing financial collapse, Hezbollah has developed a detailed plan to seize control of Beirut and silence internal critics of the war with Israel. Intelligence reports emerging from the Lebanese capital suggest that Hezbollah is preparing for a domestic military takeover to shore up its crumbling authority. The terror organization has reportedly finalized a plan to occupy key sectors of Beirut in an effort to marginalize moderate political figures who have become increasingly vocal in their criticism of the group's actions. This move comes as the Lebanese public grows weary of a war that has brought the country to...

For the first time in the history of the modern Middle East, Saudi Arabia has crossed a major red line by launching direct military strikes against Iranian targets on Iranian soil. According to reports from Reuters and various Western intelligence sources, the Saudi Air Force conducted a series of secret aerial operations in late March 2026. These strikes were designed as a direct response to persistent Iranian attacks that had successfully bypassed the American military defense umbrella to hit targets inside the Saudi Kingdom. The operations, while unconfirmed by official government channels in Riyadh, represent a massive escalation in the...

It was all over in record short time. Russia’s annual Victory Day on Red Square ended after only 45 minutes with no displays of any of the Armed Forces of Russia (AFR) military hardware and under extremely tight security. Tensions were running extremely high following the threat of a possible Ukrainian drone attack on the event that commemorates the end of WWII, known as the Great Patriotic war in Russia, and one of the most significant events on the Russian public calendar... Ukraine threat Security at the event was overwhelming. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived with a very large security...

...By the way, they have three people in custody but still haven’t released the names. You probably know why… The rumor on the street is that this shooting was part of an ongoing Somali clan war. If you look online, countless MN-based accounts are saying this “war” has been going on for a while and it’s tearing apart St. Paul. Maybe not so “atypical” after all, eh? This X post is from Phillip C. Parrish, a candidate for MN governor in 2026 discusses the clan wars.... .

"Saudi Arabia is reported to have told him its airspace cannot be used for operations." Donald Trump has suffered a major operational setback as he has been reportedly told by Saudi Arabia that the US cannot use their airspace, says former US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, David Satterfield.

American attack helicopters sank six Iranian small boats in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday — as the Trump administration works to back the regime into a corner — forcing it to choose between allowing ships through the strait or attacking them and provoking a return to war. Two US-flagged cargo ships successfully passed through the strait as part of a new American initiative, “Project Freedom.” Frustrated by the lack of progress with Iranian negotiators, Trump is allegedly forcing Iran’s hand by deploying US warships directly into the Strait of Hormuz to escort neutral vessels that have been trapped in...

Iran fired 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones at the UAE today, says the Emirati Defense Ministry. The attacks caused three moderate injuries. Since the start of the war on February 28, Iran has fired 549 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and 2,260 drones at the UAE, which has suffered more Iranian attacks than any other country.

A new poll shows that 74 percent of people think America is winning the war with Iran. That’s according to a new Harvard CAPS/ Harris Poll taken on April 23-26, 2026. Poll: Majority in U.S. Think America Winning in War With Iran (Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll) April 23-26, 202674% think the U.S. is winning in the war with Iran, including 60% of Democrats, 91% of Republicans, and 70% of Independents. pic.twitter.com/6jHng5NCnO— Mark Dubowitz (@mdubowitz) May 3, 2026Remarkable numbers—especially given a mainstream media narrative that insists America is losing and the Islamic Republic of Iran is winning. https://t.co/FgVWL6oBUo— Mark Dubowitz (@mdubowitz) May...

I begin by singing the same song I have been crooning since President Trump announced the ceasefire and naval blockade in mid-April. The war is over. If this were a novel, we’d be in epilogue territory where we tie up some loose threads in the plot and learn about the fates of various characters.

Ukraine is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on Sunday amid lingering fears that Russia's 4-year-old war could spark a repeat of the world's worst nuclear disaster. "The Chernobyl disaster was the result of a reactor experiment ordered ⁠by Moscow, in violation of safety protocols, and followed by lies and cover-ups," Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a ⁠statement. "To this day, the world has to face consequences brought by a totalitarian system that subordinated truth and science to ideology and political power." Millions were exposed to radiation, hundreds ⁠of thousands forced to flee, and wide swaths of...

Food for thought. Iran Is Not Winning. It Is Unraveling. The prevailing narrative on Iran has it almost perfectly reversed. We are told that Tehran is winning a war of wills in the Gulf and that Donald Trump is gambling recklessly with the world’s most sensitive chokepoint. In reality, Iran is not consolidating strength; it is managing decline. And Trump’s play on the Strait of Hormuz has quietly forced energy markets to reprice security—tilting the balance decisively toward the Americas, and away from Europe, Asia and China. The Islamic Republic no longer resembles a confident revolutionary project. With the old...

Concern about the status of U.S. munitions inventories has intensified as reports emerge about high expenditures of Tomahawks, Patriots, and other missiles in the Iran war. As Operation Epic Fury remains paused in a shaky ceasefire, there is an opportunity to assess whether the U.S. military nears the point of going “Winchester”—or running out of ammunition. Analysis of seven key munitions shows that the United States has enough missiles to continue fighting this war under any plausible scenario. The risk—which will persist for many years—lies in future wars. In the 39 days of the air and missile campaign before the...

Since Ukraine’s population has shrunk dramatically, the army’s number one problem is no longer the lack of weapons, such as ballistic missiles and air defense systems, but the lack of soldiers to operate them, writes Világgazdaság. The competent authorities in Kyiv, however, must bring the army size required by Commander-in-Chief Zelensky (800,000 active soldiers), and since the number of men eligible for military service (between the ages of 18 and 60) is slowly running out, the Ukrainian leadership is now trying to fill the gaps by conscripting women. As of early 2024, approximately 5 million men are considered to be...

Israel Defense Forces @IDFFollowing the completion of an initial examination regarding a photograph published earlier today of an IDF soldier harming a Christian symbol, it was determined that the photograph depicts an IDF soldier operating in southern Lebanon.The IDF views the incident with great severity and emphasizes that the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops.The incident is being investigated by the Northern Command and is currently being addressed through the chain of command. Appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings.Furthermore, the IDF is working to assist the community...

President Trump posted 4/19/26, on True Social: “Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America. They are Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart and, unlike others that have shown their true colors in a moment of conflict and stress, Israel fights hard, and knows how to WIN! President DJT” April 19, 2026 Donald J. Trump